The chondrophores or porpitids are a small and very unusual group of hydrozoans today classified as family Porpitidae. Though it derives from an outdated name for this lineage (see below), some still find the term "chondrophore" useful as a synonym to "porpitid" in discussions of the three genera contained herein. They all live at the surface of the open ocean, and are colonies of carnivorous, free-floating hydroids whose role in the plankton community's similar to that of pelagic jellyfish. Th… (More on Chondrophore)